Students Join Forces with Environmentalists to Reduce Garbage and Chemical Pollution


As the observance of the Zero Waste Month enters its final stretch, two non-profit organizations pledged to work together to address the garbage and chemical issues facing our society.

Through a Memorandum of Agreement, the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP) and the EcoWaste Coalition forged a “Partnership on Zero Waste” that will promote and advance their shared goals of promoting environmental awareness, responsibility and action.

SCAP is the largest and widest alliance of student councils, student governments, and student political parties and organizations in the country with membership in 150 public and private schools, while the EcoWaste Coalition brings together over 140 public interest groups working toward a zero waste and toxics-free society. 

“We believe that students and student leaders have an important role to play in helping our colleges and universities become centers for environmental sustainability in the face of growing waste and pollution problems in our communities,” said Jeza Antoinette Rodriguez, National Chairperson, SCAP.

“Through our cooperation with the EcoWaste Coalition, we hope to engage in projects and activities aimed at reducing the generation of garbage in our schools and in minimizing exposure to toxins that can affect the health and safety of the academe and the wider community,” she added.

“We look forward to conducting collaborative efforts with SCAP in order to reach out to more young people whose future is at stake if the degradation and destruction of the environment continues unabated,” said Patricia Nicdao, Policy Advocacy Officer of the EcoWaste Coalition and a former student leader herself.

SCAP, through its Committee on Corporate and Organizational Relations, seeks to strengthen its environmental programs and campaigns by undertaking zero waste, chemical safety and health intervention initiatives at the school and community level, as well as at the policy and media arena.

For starters, SCAP co-organized a successful webinar last Friday highlighting various zero waste practices and models in the country.

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